On the same day that Denver International Airport welcomed the Airbus A380, the world’s largest passenger plane, city officials advanced a $150 million request from airport leadership to plan for a new Consolidated Rental Car Facility, or ConRAC.

The unanimous vote by members of the Business, Arts, Workforce, Climate & Aviation Services Committee on Wednesday moves DIA’s request to approve a 10-year, $150 million contract with Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. for program management support services to oversee the development and delivery of two major projects, the ConRAC and and an associated transport system connecting the facility to the airport terminal.

The contract does not include the construction of the facilities. Still, once the project scoping is complete, DIA Chief Construction and Infrastructure Officer Jim Starling said the final price tag would be somewhere between $1.2 billion and $1.7 billion.

“The ConRAC will bring all the rental car brands together,” Airport Special Projects Principal Project Manager Sal Mensah said. “There are a number of rental car brand families that are operating rental car facilities on site — I think there are 11 different rental car brands, and then there are a number that are off-site as well. The intent is to centralize all of these into one location and make it easier for passengers and travelers.

The CTS — or common transport system project — will provide a connection point between the terminal and the new ConRAC facility.

Both projects are designed to handle more passengers and promote sustainable growth, as DIA expects future passenger capacity to reach 100 million over the next several years.

While the airport derives significant revenue from the rental car companies’ ground leases and a percentage of their sales, DIA officials said that users of the new facility will foot the bill through a customer facility charge.

“The interesting thing about this contract is it’ll be paid 100% by customer facility charges,” Starling added. “So the people using this facility pay a charge per day for renting a car. That is what will provide the funding for this contract and any future contracts.”

“Rental cars contribute nearly $60 million annually to the City and County of Denver general fund through sales tax revenue,” Mensah added.

The ConRAC, although still in a conceptual stage, is expected to enhance the passenger experience while reducing traffic and environmental impact by eliminating more than 250,000 shuttle trips annually.

Plans also include forward-thinking infrastructure to accommodate the expected increase in electric vehicles used by rental car companies, which may move to 100% EV fleets.

The standard transport system, or CTS, has not been finalized.

Concept drawings suggest a type of tilting train may be used, but airport officials were quick to say they are still exploring options.

Based on current capacity estimates, the CTS would need to move 3,000 passengers per hour, experts said.

Airport officials said the majority of large airports in the U.S. have implemented similar ConRACs, including Los Angeles and Chicago.